Liquiçá

Liquiçá (Tetum: Likisá) is a coastal city in East Timor, 32 km to the west of Dili, the national capital. Liquiçá is the capital of Liquiçá District. The city has a population of 5,005 inhabitants.

On 6 April 1999, in the campaign of intimidation and violence that preceded the referendum for East Timorese independence, about 200 persons were killed in the Liquiçá Church Massacre, when members of the Besi Merah Putih militia, supported by Indonesian soldiers and police, attacked the church. (The number of casualties is, not surprisingly, disputed by Indonesia).

During the leadup to the referendum on independence, most of the buildings in the city were destroyed. Only a few buildings from the Portuguese and Indonesian times remain.

Starting in 1999, it became the district headquarters for the International Police, assigned there by UNTAET, under the United Nations. It also was the home base of operations for the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment.

Languages

Most of the inhabitants speak Tocodede.

Liquiçá District

Liquiçá (Tetum: Likisá) is one of the districts of East Timor. Its capital is also called Liquiçá.

Geography

Liquiçá District is situated on the northern coast of East Timor, and borders the districts of Dili (containing the national capital) to the east, Aileu to the Southeast, Ermera to the south, and Bobonaro to the southwest. To the northwest lies the Savu Sea. The district has a population of 73,027 (Census 2010) and an area of 549 square kilometers. The district is identical to the district of the same name in Portuguese Timor. Its subdistricts are Bazartete, Liquiçá and Maubara.

Widely known as a beautiful location, it has a breath-taking view of the Ombai Strait, which is most visible as you drive into Liquiçá from Dili, rounding the last mountain curve before descending into the valley. The beaches are rocky, as are most beaches on East Timor, but nonetheless beautiful. The river that flows down to the sea from the mountains is dry, except during the monsoon season. During this time, the main road washes out several times, and is repaired each time by the local population. The only downside to its beauty is the large population of mosquitoes which carry both the deadly diseases malaria and dengue fever.